Central Team Inspects Cyclone-hit Areas of East Godavari
The central officials interacted with farmers about the impact of cyclone, the condition of crops and the resulting loss in yields.
Kakinada: A central inter-ministerial team that visited the cyclone-hit areas of East Godavari district on Saturday advised AP officials to prepare estimates for permanent repairs as well as a comprehensive action plan to mitigate damage due to cyclones.
The team members inspected the cyclone-affected areas in Kovvuru, Nidadavolu, Markondapadu village in Chagallu mandal, Kamsalipalem and Singavaram in Nidadavole mandal, Polavaram Right Main Canal, and the Bollalal Tank area in Gopalapuram mandal.
The central officials interacted with farmers about the impact of cyclone, the condition of crops and the resulting loss in yields. They advised farmers to follow the guidance of agricultural scientists, adopt alternative crop varieties, diversify crops, and implement scientific crop management practices to reduce losses during future natural disasters.
District officials told the team that heavy rainfall triggered by the cyclone, along with a large inflow of floodwater from minor irrigation tanks in the upper reaches, inundated areas around canals and tanks. Tank bunds and bridges suffered erosion and structural damage at certain locations.
Earlier, East Godavari district collector Keerthi Chekuri made a presentation on the damage caused by the cyclone. She said 20 of the district's 22 mandals, covering 244 villages and two towns, had been affected; impacting 10,823 people. The central team included Ministry of Rural Development deputy secretary Alok Jawahar, National Remote Sensing Centre scientist S.V.S.P. Sarma, Central Water Commission superintending engineer Rekharani Kollu, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways regional office executive engineer Shashank Shekhar Raj, and AP State Disaster Management Authority executive director Kausar Bano.
